Alonzo Monroe Clark (August 13, 1868 – October 12, 1952) was an American

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking ...

who was the 16th Governor of Wyoming from 1931 to 1933. A Republican, he took office after sitting governor

Frank Emerson Frank Collins Emerson (May 26, 1882February 18, 1931) was an American engineer and politician from Wyoming. He was most notable for his service as the 15th Governor of Wyoming from January 3, 1927, until his death. Biography Frank C. Emerson wa ...

's death. He lost his re-election campaign.

Biography

Clark was born in Flint, Indiana. He was raised and educated in

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the sout ...

after his family moved there from Indiana. After graduating from Nebraska State Teachers College in 1898, he served as Superintendent of Schools for

Dawes County, Nebraska Dawes County is a county in the U.S. state of Nebraska. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 9,182. Its county seat is Chadron. The county was formed in 1885; it was named for James W. Dawes, the Nebraska Governor at the time ...

, before moving to Wyoming in 1901. He homesteaded more than in

Campbell County, Wyoming Campbell County is a county in the U.S. state of Wyoming. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 47,026, making it the third-most populous county in Wyoming. Its county seat is Gillette. Campbell County comprises the Gillett ...

, and was a teacher. In

1926 Events January * January 3 – Theodoros Pangalos declares himself dictator in Greece. * January 8 **Abdul-Aziz ibn Saud is crowned King of Hejaz. ** Crown Prince Nguyễn Phúc Vĩnh Thuy ascends the throne, the last monarch of Viet ...

, he was elected Secretary of State, and he was re-elected in

1930 Events January * January 15 – The Moon moves into its nearest point to Earth, called perigee, at the same time as its fullest phase of the Lunar Cycle. This is the closest moon distance at in recent history, and the next one will b ...

. When the then-current governor,

died, on February 18, 1931, just six weeks into his second term, Clark succeeded to the governorship. He took the oath of office after Emerson's Sunday funeral, which was three days later. That November, he was defeated in the Republican primary, and resumed his term as Secretary of State. His loss in the primary remains the closest primary defeat for an incumbent Republican governor in United States history. In 1934 he successfully secured the Republican nomination, but lost in the general election to the then-incumbent, Democrat Leslie A. Miller. He also campaigned unsuccessfully for seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate. The National Governors Association noted:National Governos Association
/ref> He was married twice, first to Lucy M. Smith (who died in 1944) with whom he had one child, and then to Florence Russell. He died on October 12, 1952, in

Thermopolis, Wyoming Thermopolis is the county seat and largest town in Hot Springs County, Wyoming, United States. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the town population was 2,725. Thermopolis is Greek for "hot city." It is home to numerous natural hot springs, in which ...

, aged 84, and is buried in Carleton, Nebraska.

References

External links

State of Wyoming's biography of Clark
1868 births 1952 deaths Secretaries of State of Wyoming Republican Party governors of Wyoming People from Steuben County, Indiana People from Campbell County, Wyoming {{Wyoming-politician-stub